Component sizing gates



June 11, 1968 D. J. BUCK 3,387,705

COMPONENT SIZING GATES Filed Nov. 17, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR.

DONALD [Buck ,41- roe/vs Kr June 11, 1968 Filed Nov. 17, 1965 D- J. BUCK COMPONENT SIZING GATES 2 Sheets-Sheet :1

Ar Toe/vs):

United States Patent 3,387,705 COMPONENT SIZING GATES Donald J. Buck, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Fabri- Tek Incorporated, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Nov. 17, 1965, Ser. No. 508,205 8 Claims. (Cl. 209-75) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE .Magnetic core vibratory sorting apparatus having a tapered track with a wall on one side and an adjustable vertical wall on the other side to form a width gate. The adjustable vertical wall having an inclined lower edge which extends from a point above the tapered track at an upstream side to below the tapered track at downstream side for removing components propelled along the track from the track when they are too wide.

This invention is concerned with production apparatus, and more particularly with apparatus for automatically assorting components according to their outside diameter.

Automatic component sorting apparatus finds vast use in contemporary industry. Improvements in such appara tus which lend reliability to component sorting, or save any time in assorting of a multitude of parts, are highly sought after and readily accepted by those skilled in the art for the obvious advantages they offer.

The apparatus of this invention, briefly described, concerns the use of a tapered track along which components, such as magnetic cores, are seriately propelled by a vibratory motion. A known vibratory feeder is used to provide the components to the tapered track. At least one width gate is mounted contiguous to the track for checking the outside diameter of the cores. This gate takes the form of a member having a vertically extending leg adjacent one side of the track. A vertically extending wall is provided adjacent the other side of the track opposite the leg. A bottom edge of the leg is inclined such that an upstream corner is a predetermined height above the level of the tapered track, while a downstream corner is at a predetermined distance below the level of the track. Thus as a component proceeds along the track, if it is of a proper width it will pass between the wall and the leg to continue down the tapered track until the width of the track is too narrow to hold the core, at which point it falls into an accept bin. If the component is too wide to pass between the leg and the wall, it will be caught under the inclined edge of the leg and be tilted off the track as it attempts to proceed downstream, to fall into a reject chute.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the apparatus of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a top elevation view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1, including the tapered track and a pair of gates operable therewith;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 3 taken along the line 4-4.

In FIG. 1 there is shown an embodiment of the apparatus of this invention including a known vibratory com-ponent feeder 10, having a component receiving cup 12 and a helical track 11. Components such as magnetic cores 16 are placed in cup 12 and vibrated up helical track 11 to be placed into a hopper 13. Hopper 13 provides the cores to a component sorter 14, having a tapered track 15. As a plurality of components such as magnetic cores 3,387,705 Patented June 11, 1968 16 enter track 15 from hopper 13, they are seriately propelled along track 15 by a vibratory motion imparted to component sorter 14 from vibratory means (not shown) which cause an upward and forward motion of cores 16. Track 15 is formed such that cores 16 tend to embrace an inner wall 17 extending vertically along the length of track 15.

There is also shown in FIG. 1 a first gate comprising a member 18 mounted on component sorter 1'4 and having a downwardly extending plate 19. There is also shown a second gate comprising a member 21 including a vertically extending plate 22. Plates 19 and 22 form, respectively, height and width gates for the rejection of components- 16 outside a predetermined tolerance, as will be more fully described in the discussion of FIG. 2, 3 and 4. Components 16 rejected by the first and second gates are forced to fall off track 15 into a reject chute 24 where they will be returned to cup 12. Components 16 which are of proper dimensions to pass through the first and second gates will proceed along tapered track 15, until the width of track 15 becomes insuflicient to sup port components 16, at which point they will fall into an acceptance bin 25.

In FIG. 2 there is shown a top view of component sorter '14. In this View, the taper of track 15 is more readily seen to .be such that components 16 may easily travel along track 15 until they reach a point beyond the first and second gates, where track 15 narrows to a width not suliicient to support a component 16.

Component sorter 14 is shown to be comprised of an upper member 27 resting on a lower member 28. The relative positions of members 27 and 28 can be adjusted, by means of bolts 36 and 38 in combination with slots 37 and 39 as shown in FIG. 1, to preset the desired dimensions of tapered track 15. It is also shown that member 18 and plate 19 can be adjusted by means of a bolt 32 which extends through a slot 31 in member 18. Also, member 21 in plate 22 can be adjusted by means of a bolt 34 which extends through a slot 33 in member 21.

In FIG. 2 it is apparent that plate 19 extends on an angle across track 15, the upstream edge of plate 19 being near wall 17, and the downstream edge of plate 19 extending beyond the other side of track 15. Thus components 16 which strike plate 19 will follow the angle to fall off track 15 onto reject chute 24.

It is also apparent that the inside edge of plate 22 forms a width gate with wall 17 through which only components 16 of the proper dimension may pass.

Referring to FIG. 3, it is seen that an inclined edge 23 of plate 22 extends from an upstream corner which is above track 15 a sufficient distance to allow a component 16 to pass thereunder, to a downstream corner which is below track 15. Thus any components 16 which are too Wide to pass through the width gate formed by plate 22 and wall 17 pass under the upstream corner of inclined edge 23 and are forced against inclined edge 23 to be tipped or tilted off track 15 and onto chute 24.

Also in FIG. 3 it is shown that the lower edge of plate 19, in combination with track 15, forms a height gate 20. Thus components which are too high to pass through gate 20 or components which have left hopper 13 stacked on top of another component, are contacted by the outer face of plate 19 and forced onto reject chute 24. Com ponents 16 which are not stacked, and are not too high, will pass through gate 20 to pass onto one or more of the type of gates formed by member 21 and plate 22.

In FIG. 4 there is shown a sectional view including member 21 and plate 22 with its inclined edge 23. Here a component 16 is shown being tilted by having a portion come in contact with inclined edge 23 and being forced along inclined edge 23. A perpendicular line 30 is drawn in FIG. 4 to indicate the tilt of component sorter 14, which tilt tends to keep component 16 against wall 17.

It is apparent from the drawing of FIG. 4 that the width gate can be varied by adjusting the position of bolt 34 within slot 33, to move plate 22 toward or from wall 17. Further, the height of the upstream corner of inclined edge 23 can be varied by placing a member such as a piece of shim stock under member 21.

Also a similar adjustment can be made for height gate 20 by varying the position of bolt 32 in slot 31 to move angle plate 19 across track 15, and shim members may be placed under member 18 to raise or lower the lower edge of plate 19 to vary the height of gate 20.

The operation of this embodiment of this invention will now be reviewed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. Initially, an operator will pour a large quantity of components 16, such as magnetic toroidal cores, into cup 12 of vibratory component feeder 10. The vibration of feeder moves components 16 seriately up helical track 11. At the top of helical track 11 components 16 fall into hopper 13, which leads directly onto tapered track 15. Track 15, which is formed by upper member 27 and lower member 28, is subjected to a vibration which imparts to components 16 an up and forward motion, causing components 16 to move seriately along track 15. Track 15 is tilted sufficiently so that the components tend to lean against wall 17, thus keeping them on track 15.

Components 16 first encounter height gate 20 and plate 19. If the components are not stacked and are of proper height, they will pass under the lower edge of plate 19 and proceed along track 15. If the components are too high, or are stacked, they will contact the angled face of plate 19 to be forced off track 15 and onto reject chute 24 where they are returned to cup 12.

Having passed the first gate, components 16 will next encounter the width gate comprised of wall 17, member 21 and plate 22 including inclined lower edge 23. Components 16 of the proper width will pass between the inside edge of plate 22 and wall 17 to proceed down track 15. Components 16 which are too wide will be caught under the upstream corner of inclined edge 23 and forced against the incline, where they will eventually be tilted off track 15 to fall onto reject chute 24.

Those components 16 which have passed through the second gate will continue along track 15 until, due to its taper, track 15 can no longer support the components and they will fall into acceptance bin 25.

It is important to note that though the embodiment described herein contains only one width gate, or outside diameter sizing gate, that a plurality of such gates may be used in conjunction with a single track 15 to provide for assorting components of various widths into proper acceptance bins. In such cases the taper of track 15 would be fixed to drop accepted components following one gate, but carry smaller components onto the other gates.

It should also be noted that should the first or height gate 20 not be needed, the outside diameter assorting gate comprising member 18 and plate 22 could well be used alone.

Further, it is not necessary in all embodiments of this invention that track 15 be tapered, as other means for storing selected components once they have passed the outside diameter checking gate could be used.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In apparatus for sorting components including track means, means for providing components to the track means, and means for imparting a linear vibratory motion to the track means for substantially linear and scriate advancement of components along a track, the improvement comprising:

a vertically extending wall mounted adjacent one side of the track;

a gate member mounted contiguously to the track and including a substantially vertical plate extending adjacent the other side of the track in spaced relation with said wall to form a sizing gate therewith; and

an inclined lower edge on said plate in spaced relation to the horizontal plane of the track characterized by the leading corner of said lower edge being above the plane and the trailing corner of said lower edge being below the plane for rejecting components from the track which are too wide to pass through said sizing gate.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the track is tapered from a width wide enough to carry components upstream of said sizing gate, to a width too narrow to carry components downstream of said sizing gate.

3. Component asserting apparatus comprising:

a lower block;

an upper block mounted on said lower block and forming a component track on said lower block;

means for seriately providing components to said track;

means connected to said blocks for imparting vibratory motion thereto for seriate advancement of the componcnts on said track;

gate means mounted on said blocks and including a member extending substantially normal to and adjacent said track, said member being in spaced relation to said upper block to form a sizing gate therewith; and

a lower edge of said member being inclined from a point above said track at an upstream corner to a point below said track at a downstream corner, for rejecting components too wide to pass through said sizing gate.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 including a plurality of said gate means mounted in series adjacent said track for sizing a plurality of different sized components.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said upper block is adjustably mounted on said lower block for varying the width of said track.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said gate means is adjustably mounted on said blocks for varying the width of said sizing gate and the elevation of said inclined edge.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said track is tapered from a width sutficient to carry components upstream of said sizing gate, to a Width insufficient to carry components at a predetermined point downstream of said sizing gate.

8. The apparatus of claim 3 including further gate means mounted on said blocks and including a plate having a lower edge in spaced relation with the upper surface of said track for forming another sizing gate therewith; said plate being angled across the surface of said track for rejecting components too high to pass through said another sizing gate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1936 Frochlich 209 X 9/1964 Tricinci l98-33.l 

